Some of My Favourite Media:
Jasmijn's Latest Highly Rated:
JASMIJN
Compared to some of the other curators of this website, I might seem to be the odd one out. My collection does not contain a lot of Big Names, I love to read children’s literature and most of the ‘adult’ fantasy I read came highly recommended specifically for me (usually by Robin).
However, that was exactly why I wanted to participate in this project. Before I met Jop I had never seen Lord of the Rings and, frankly, probably wouldn’t even have considered watching it. I enjoy fantasy but am often scared away by the violence, copious amounts of sequels and books within this genre in general. The fantasy/sci-fi community seemed like a world you needed to know a lot about before you could enter. But I was wrong. It turned out that I already had a lot of things in common. I love playing board games, going to fantasy fairs and reading stories with magical elements. After high school, I just forgot that I loved to read.
I love to play Pathfinder, being able to create your own story in a fantasy-setting is a magical thing. Also, I have wings now.
I like characters that are inherently good. This doesn’t mean I like boring Goody Two-shoes stories. It can be very interesting if these people end up in ethical conundrums or mysterious settings.
I love representation done well. LGBTQ+, BiPoc or disabled characters that have stories not just surrounding these issues. Having a label as a part of your identity does not mean that it is the only part of your identity.
My stories need to be character-driven. In the end it doesn’t matter to me whether they live on a spaceship or in some magical woods. I want to be able to use stories as a way to put myself in someone else’s shoes, or to know that I am not the only one struggling with an issue.
I cannot bear extremely long descriptions of a certain landscape or the way something/someone looks. Give me a few keywords, describe the ambience and go on with your story.
I hate copious amounts of politics in my stories. Especially the evil kind. Some warlords hovering over a battle map going “And then we kill them all, see”. Using your evil to fix things just seems like the easy way out. Boring.
Quirks
When someone is eating something in a book or series, I need to eat that food too. Immediately.
My favourite thing is Christmas: Christmas songs, Christmas books, Christmas movies
I love dice. Too many dice is not a thing. New character? New dice. Fantasy fair? Dice!
Guilty Pleasure? Elf, anytime of the year. Also singing out loud to All I want for Christmas is you!
Recent Contributions
Review: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing – Hank Green
April May – an otherwise unremarkable girl – runs into an immovable statue on her walk home one night, standing unmoving on a sidewalk in New York. April shares a video of the statue online, dubbing it ‘Carl’. The video goes viral and April becomes a celebrity overnight as Carls appear in cities around the world. April is dragged into the world of internet fame and even politics as the Carls turn out to be much more than they initially appeared, and she suddenly has a voice in an emerging global crisis.
Curator Question: Which fantasy/sci-fi character would you like to go on a date with?
Our curators consider dating characters from their favourite fantasy and sci-fi stories. With whom would they want to have a cozy rendezvous?
Review: Disenchanted – Disney
In ‘Enchanted’, former storybook princess Giselle leaves her fairy tale life behind to find a happily ever after in the real world with a single dad and his pre-teen daughter. In this movie, Giselle has a baby of her own and a now gloomy teenage stepdaughter. To try and escape an existence in a rut, Giselle makes her family move to a small suburban village. Furthermore, she uses a magic wand to wish a fairy tale life for her family. Alas, as often tends to happen with wishes, things don’t work out as she intends…
Review: Matilda the Musical – Matthew Warchus
Matilda is a clever girl born into a family that doesn’t really appreciate it. More often than not, Matilda finds that she has to educate her parents, instead of the other way around.
Ready to learn, Matilda is very excited to go to school. However, it seems that her new headmistress is a true tyrant. To set things right, Matilda has to unearth some dark secrets as well as learn some very special skills.
Review: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo
Review of the video game Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. After awakening from a one hundred-year long sleep, Link finds the kingdom of Hyrule in a post-apocalyptic state.